There's one thing Gregg "Hobie" Hubbard wants to emphasize more than anything else -- that he and the rest of Sawyer Brown are still in the business because they love making music.
That was their goal when they entered this gig, and it remains their goal after 14 albums and 16 years of playing together."We still feel like a bunch of 15-year-olds in a garage," Hubbard said in a telephone interview from his Nashville, Tenn. home. "That level of enthusiasm hasn't gone away for us."
Sawyer Brown will be playing at Ogden's Dee Events Center tonight at 7 p.m. Creedence Clearwater Revisited will open the show. Tickets are available at all SmithTix outlets.
Hubbard is a broken record of sorts. He talks about Sawyer Brown having cut down on its touring schedule (about 100 dates this year compared with 250 during the band's first couple of years on the road) and the new vocal sound the band has explored with its latest album . . . but he keeps coming back to "being in it for the music."
"I feel we're still in the middle of all of this," Hubbard said. "As simple as it sounds, it comes down to the making of the music. Every time we find something new that makes us want to go in and cut an album, that's what it's all about. It still feels fresh to us."
In addition to promoting its newest album, "Drive Me Wild," the band is also recording a live album to be released in July. There are also plans to record three new songs for the album, as well as to record both its St. George and Ogden shows for possible inclusion.
Though the band has come a long way since winning on "Star Search" in 1984, Hubbard sees one of Sawyer Brown's biggest challenges as continuing to be one of the most entertaining live shows touring today. "There's so much out there, with the increased number of country artists we have today. The entertainment dollar is stretched just as far as it can be stretched.
"We have to make it worth somebody's while to come out."
Those who have seen a Sawyer Brown show can vouch for the excitement and enthusiasm and energy that all five band members generate. Frontman Mark Miller is what Hubbard calls an "incredible, dynamic performer," which has remained true since he and the band played on the same bill as Lee Greenwood and Kenny Rogers more than 15 years ago . . . nearly stealing the show in the process.
If the rest of Sawyer Brown is in sync with what Hubbard feels, don't expect a big change anytime soon. Putting on a highly entertaining show for the audience is key.
"It feels like home up there (on the stage) to us, not like punching the clock," Hubbard said. "We have gone out on tours that have had more stuff on them -- we did one tour with lights and everything -- but it felt so programmed. We felt like we were working for them. We decided we'd never do that again. That's not what this is about.
"As cool as all of that is, it's still in how our connection with real people is."